1. Field
The invention pertains to safety closures for sealing nail polish bottles, cosmetic bottles, and the like, in an efficient manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various closures have been devised to tightly seal nail polish bottles for extended periods of time, while allowing a manicurist to easily open the closure, as needed, to gain access to the contents of the bottle. A nail polish brush, retained within the closure, is used to apply the nail polish to the finger nails of a customer in a known manner. If the closure is secured to the bottle with excessive force, the manicurist will be unable to remove same. Conversely, if the seal is not tight enough, the contents of the bottle may leak during transport or while handling same, ambient conditions may attack, or degrade the nail polish, and diminish its color, luster, and viscosity over time.
Safety closures for containers such as bottles and tubes, which may be opened by simple, manual manipulation as needed, and yet remain fixed, in leak proof sealing position during transport and under normal conditions of operation are well known. In many instances, the safety closure assumes the form on an inner cap seated upon, or otherwise engaged with, the neck of the container, and an outer cap, of slightly larger dimensions and similar shape. The outer cap fits over the inner cap in a telescoping manner. Threads are defined on the exterior of the inner cap, and complimentary threads are defined in interior of the outer cap.
The outer cap may be freely rotated relative to the inner cap, without imparting any rotational force thereto, in most instances. However, in order to couple the outer cap to the inner cap, a mechanical member must be forced, or positioned, on the threads between the outer cap and the inner cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,701 discloses a safety cap (16) including an inner cap (18) and an outer cap (20); the outer cap is normally freely rotatable about the inner cap. The wide groove (46) and several smaller grooves (48) do not engage the wide lug (30) and the several small lugs (32) at the upper end of the body of the inner cap. However, when the arrow (56) on the inner cap and the indicating mark on the outer cap are aligned, downward pressure on the outer cap will cause the lugs and grooves on the outer cap and inner cap to engage. Split ring (52) is enlarged by the downward force and then returns to its original shape to lock the grooves and lugs together. Consequently, rotational force will loosen, or unseat the cap from the neck of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,033, Smith; U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,688, Porcelli; U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,258, Curry; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,769,252 and 5,873,475, Volpe, disclose other safety closures of general interest. Volpe, for example, requires that the outer cap or overcap, be squeezed so that the projections on the outer cap are enlarged with the depressions on the exterior of the inner cap, so that the inner and outer cap move in unison.